His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has visited Mattru Jong in the Bonthe district, where he also turned the sod for the construction of the Mattru Jong/Senehun Bridge, linking the two communities and other chiefdoms within the southern province.

Mattru Jong is a riverine community in the Jong chiefdom with estimated population of over twenty thousand (20,000) residents. Its main activities include fishing, oil production, cassava and rice farming.

Currently, residents of this community rely on manual cable ferry as a means of connection to other chiefdoms within the Bonthe district.

The project to construct the new Bridge is expected to be completed in fifteen (15) months. When completed, the facility will ease the traveling burden through connecting communities within the Jong chiefdom and beyond, enhance agricultural productivity, improve access to social facilities and increase economic activities in that part of the country.

In his remarks, His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio noted that since colonial days, the bridge connecting the two towns had been neglected. “Bonthe district has long been a forgotten district. In 15-month-time, the cable ferry will be a thing of the past. I encourage the contractors to deliver quality work and within the stated timeframe. Apart from this, we have five (5) more bridges to construct, including the Sumbuya—Tisana Bridge. We are also constructing the road to Bo district to boost agribusinesses and facilitate goods and services seamlessly,” he informed the exciting gathering.

This project is part of the New Direction Government initiative to construct bridges in seven (7) crossing points to replace the current cable ferries in a bid to ease traveling and accelerate trade activities across Sierra Leone.